System and method for converting two diagnostic states of a controller to three diagnostic states

ABSTRACT

A control system for a vehicle includes a first vehicle system including a plurality of components and a controller. The controller monitors diagnostic data for the plurality of components of the first vehicle system and outputs a two-state status indicator for each of the components of the first vehicle system. States of the two-state status indicator include a failing state and a not failing state. A control module is configured to receive the two-state status indicator and the diagnostic data from the first vehicle system and to convert the two-state status indicator into a three-state status indicator. The three-state status indicator includes a pass state, a fail state and an indeterminate state. The control module is further configured to alter an engine operating parameter based on the three-state status indicator.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No.62/192,827 filed on Jul. 15, 2015. The entire disclosures of theapplications referenced above is incorporated herein by reference.

FIELD

The present disclosure relates to control systems for vehicles, and moreparticularly systems and methods for converting two diagnostic states ofa controller for to three states.

BACKGROUND

The background description provided herein is for the purpose ofgenerally presenting the context of the disclosure. Work of thepresently named inventors, to the extent it is described in thisbackground section, as well as aspects of the description that may nototherwise qualify as prior art at the time of filing, are neitherexpressly nor impliedly admitted as prior art against the presentdisclosure.

Internal combustion engines combust an air and fuel mixture withincylinders to drive pistons, which produces drive torque. Air flow intogasoline engines is regulated via a throttle. More specifically, thethrottle adjusts throttle area, which increases or decreases air flowinto the engine. As the throttle area increases, the air flow into theengine increases. A fuel control system adjusts the rate that fuel isinjected to provide a desired air/fuel mixture to the cylinders.Increasing the amount of air and fuel provided to the cylindersincreases the torque output of the engine.

A vehicle may include an auto stop/start system that increases thevehicle's fuel efficiency. The auto stop/start system increases fuelefficiency by selectively shutting down the engine and disabling theflow of fuel to the engine while the ignition system of the vehicle isON. While the engine is shut down, the auto stop/start systemautomatically starts the engine when one or more start-up conditions aresatisfied.

In some circumstances, battery voltage dips during an auto start eventafter an auto stop event. While some systems such as an enginecontroller may be designed to handle the battery voltage dips, othervehicle systems such as a transmission controller or other controllersmay not be as robust. When the battery voltage dips during an auto startevent, these other controllers may enter into a reset mode of operationand/or cause other drivability issues.

Existing controllers for ultra-capacitor systems used for autostop/start systems employ a two state diagnostic code for componentswithin the system. The first state corresponds to “not failing” and thesecond state corresponds to “failing”. Current on-board diagnostic(“OBD”) regulations require diagnostic systems to report usingdiagnostic states including “pass”, “fail” and “indeterminate”. The “notfailing” state is insufficient since it includes both “pass” and“indeterminate” states.

SUMMARY

A control system for a vehicle includes a first vehicle system includinga plurality of components and a controller. The controller monitorsdiagnostic data for the plurality of components of the first vehiclesystem and outputs a two-state status indicator for each of thecomponents of the first vehicle system. States of the two-state statusindicator include a failing state and a not failing state. A controlmodule is configured to receive the two-state status indicator and thediagnostic data from the first vehicle system and to convert thetwo-state status indicator into a three-state status indicator. Thethree-state status indicator includes a pass state, a fail state and anindeterminate state. The control module is further configured to alteran engine operating parameter based on the three-state status indicator.

In other features, the control module initializes the three-state statusindicator to the indeterminate state for each of the components of thefirst vehicle system. The control module is configured to monitor thediagnostic data to identify when a diagnostic test is performed for oneof the plurality of components of the first vehicle system. If thediagnostic test is performed for one of the plurality of components ofthe first vehicle system and a result of the diagnostic test is equal toa pass state, the control module is configured to change the three-statestatus indicator for the one of the plurality of components of the firstvehicle system from the indeterminate state to the pass state. If thediagnostic test is performed for one of the plurality of components ofthe first vehicle system and a result of the diagnostic test is equal toa fail state, the control module is configured to change the three-statestatus indicator for the one of the plurality of components of the firstvehicle system from the indeterminate state to the fail state.

In other features, the first vehicle system includes an ultra-capacitorand battery system. The ultra-capacitor and battery system comprises abattery, an ultra-capacitor, a DC-DC converter, a temperature sensor, aswitch and a controller. The control module includes an auto stop/startmodule configured to selectively stop an engine of a vehicle and restartthe engine of the vehicle while an ignition system is ON. The controlmodule selectively disables the auto stop/start module based on thethree-state status indicator.

In other features, the control module is configured to selectivelydisable the auto stop/start module when the three-state status indicatorfor one of the plurality of components of the first vehicle system isequal to the fail state and to selectively enable the auto stop/startmodule when the three-state status indicator for all of the plurality ofcomponents of the first vehicle system are equal to either the passstate or the indeterminate state.

A control method for monitoring operation of a vehicle includesmonitoring diagnostic data for a plurality of components of a firstvehicle system and outputting a two-state status indicator for each ofthe plurality of components of the first vehicle system. States of thetwo-state status indicator include a failing state and a not failingstate. The control method includes receiving the two-state statusindicator and the diagnostic data from the first vehicle system andconverting the two-state status indicator into a three-state statusindicator for each of the plurality of components of the first vehiclesystem. The three-state status indicator includes a pass state, a failstate and an indeterminate state. The control method includes alteringan engine operating parameter based on the three-state status indicator.

In other features, the control method includes initializing thethree-state status indicator to the indeterminate state for each of theplurality of components of the first vehicle system. The control methodincludes monitoring the diagnostic data to identify when a diagnostictest is performed for one of the plurality of components of the firstvehicle system.

In other features, if the diagnostic test is performed for one of theplurality of components of the first vehicle system and a result of thediagnostic test is equal to a pass state, the control method includeschanging the three-state status indicator for the one of the pluralityof components of the first vehicle system from the indeterminate stateto the pass state.

In other features, if the diagnostic test is performed for one of theplurality of components of the first vehicle system and a result of thediagnostic test is equal to a fail state, the control method includeschanging the three-state status indicator for the one of the pluralityof components of the first vehicle system from the indeterminate stateto the fail state.

In other features, the first vehicle system includes an ultra-capacitorand battery system. The ultra-capacitor and battery system comprises abattery, an ultra-capacitor, a DC-DC converter, a temperature sensor, aswitch and a controller. The method includes selectively performing anauto stop/start by stopping an engine of a vehicle and later restartingthe engine of the vehicle while an ignition system is ON. The methodincludes selectively disabling the auto stop/start based on thethree-state status indicator.

In other features, the method includes selectively disabling the autostop/start when the three-state status indicator for one of theplurality of components of the first vehicle system is equal to the failstate; and selectively enabling the auto stop/start when the three-statestatus indicator for all of the plurality of components of the firstvehicle system are equal to either the pass state or the indeterminatestate.

Further areas of applicability of the present disclosure will becomeapparent from the detailed description, the claims and the drawings. Thedetailed description and specific examples are intended for purposes ofillustration only and are not intended to limit the scope of thedisclosure.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present disclosure will become more fully understood from thedetailed description and the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a functional block diagram of an example of an engine controlsystem including an auto stop/start system and a battery andultra-capacitor system according to the present disclosure;

FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram of an example of the battery andultra-capacitor system of FIG. 1; and

FIGS. 3-5 are flowcharts illustrating an example of a method forconverting two diagnostic states output by an ultra-capacitor controllerto three diagnostic states to control an auto stop/start systemaccording to the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

An engine control module and starter selectively start and stop anengine of a vehicle in response to vehicle startup and shutdown commandsfrom the operator (e.g., transitioning an ignition key or start buttonto “ON” or to “OFF”). The control module may also automatically initiateauto stop events and auto start events between the vehicle startupcommand and the vehicle shutdown command while the ignition key is “ON”.

The control module may selectively initiate an auto stop event and shutdown the engine, for example, when the vehicle is stopped while thedriver applies pressure to a brake pedal and/or other enablingconditions are present. The control module may selectively initiate anauto start event and re-start the engine when the driver removespressure from the brake pedal and/or other enabling conditions arepresent.

During operation, the ultra-capacitor is charged to store energy. Afterthe charge operation is complete, auto stop events are allowed. When anauto start event occurs, the ultra-capacitor releases the stored energyto reduce battery voltage dips. Reducing the battery voltage dips allowsthe auto stop/start system to operate in additional situations. Forexample, use of the ultra-capacitor allows the auto stop/start system towork at lower temperatures. As a result of the increased use of the autostop/start system, fuel economy is improved.

Existing controllers for ultra-capacitor systems used for autostop/start systems employ a two state diagnostic for components withinthe system. The first state corresponds to “not failing” and the secondstate corresponds to “failing”. Current on-board diagnostic regulationsrequire diagnostic systems to report using diagnostic states including“pass”, “fail” and “indeterminate”. The “not failing” state isinsufficient since it includes both “pass” and “indeterminate” states.

The systems and methods described herein convert the two statediagnostic reporting for components of the ultra-capacitor system to athree diagnostic states that are compliant with OBD systems. The enginecontrol module enables and disables the auto stop/start system based onthe three diagnostic states of components of the ultra-capacitor system.

Referring now to FIG. 1, a functional block diagram of an example enginesystem 100 is presented. The engine system 100 includes an engine 102that combusts an air/fuel mixture to produce drive torque for a vehicle.Air is drawn into an intake manifold 104 through a throttle valve 106.The throttle valve 106 regulates air flow into the intake manifold 104.Air within the intake manifold 104 is drawn into one or more cylindersof the engine 102, such as cylinder 108.

One or more fuel injectors, such as fuel injector 110, inject fuel thatmixes with air to form an air/fuel mixture. In various implementations,one fuel injector may be provided for each cylinder of the engine 102.The fuel injectors may be associated with an electronic or mechanicalfuel injection system, a jet or port of a carburetor, or another fuelinjection system. The fuel injectors may be controlled to provide adesired air/fuel mixture for combustion, such as a stoichiometricair/fuel mixture.

An intake valve 112 opens to allow air into the cylinder 108. A piston(not shown) compresses the air/fuel mixture within the cylinder 108. Insome engine systems, a spark plug 114 initiates combustion of theair/fuel mixture within the cylinder 108. In other types of enginesystems, such as diesel engine systems, combustion may be initiatedwithout the spark plug 114.

Combustion of the air/fuel mixture applies force to the piston, whichrotatably drives a crankshaft (not shown). The engine 102 outputs torquevia the crankshaft. A flywheel 120 is coupled to the crankshaft androtates with the crankshaft. Torque output by the engine 102 isselectively transferred to a transmission 122 via a torque transferdevice 124. More specifically, the torque transfer device 124selectively couples the transmission 122 to the engine 102 andde-couples the transmission 122 from the engine 102. The torque transferdevice 124 may include, for example, a torque converter and/or one ormore clutches. The transmission 122 may include, for example, a manualtransmission, an automatic transmission, a semi-automatic transmission,an auto-manual transmission, or another suitable type of transmission.

Exhaust produced by combustion of the air/fuel mixture is expelled fromthe cylinder 108 via an exhaust valve 126. The exhaust is expelled fromthe cylinders to an exhaust system 128. The exhaust system 128 may treatthe exhaust before the exhaust is expelled from the exhaust system 128.Although one intake and exhaust valve are shown and described as beingassociated with the cylinder 108, more than one intake and/or exhaustvalve may be associated with each cylinder of the engine 102.

An engine control module (ECM) 130 controls the torque output of theengine 102. For example only, the ECM 130 may control the torque outputof the engine 102 via various engine actuators. The engine actuators mayinclude, for example, a throttle actuator module 132, a fuel actuatormodule 134, and a spark actuator module 136. The engine system 100 mayalso include other engine actuators, and the ECM 130 may control theother engine actuators.

Each engine actuator controls an operating parameter based on a signalfrom the ECM 130. For example only, the throttle actuator module 132 maycontrol opening of the throttle valve 106, the fuel actuator module 134may control amount and timing of fuel injection, and the spark actuatormodule 136 may control spark timing.

The ECM 130 may control the torque output of the engine 102 based on,for example, driver inputs and various other inputs. The other inputsmay include, for example, inputs from a transmission system, inputs froma hybrid control system, inputs from a stability control system, inputsfrom a chassis control system, and other suitable vehicle systems.

The driver inputs may include, for example, an accelerator pedalposition (APP), a brake pedal position (BPP), and vehicle operationcommands. An APP sensor 142 measures position of an accelerator pedal(not shown) and generates the APP based on the position. A BPP sensor144 monitors actuation of a brake pedal (not shown) and generates theBPP accordingly. The vehicle operation commands may be made viaactuation of, for example, an ignition key, one or more ignitionbuttons/switches, and/or one or more suitable vehicle ignition systeminputs 148. In vehicles having a manual transmission, the driver inputsprovided to the ECM 130 may also include a clutch pedal position (CPP).A CPP sensor 150 monitors actuation of a clutch pedal (not shown) andgenerates the CPP accordingly.

In some implementations, the APP sensor 142, the BPP sensor 144, and theCPP sensor 150 may measure the position of the associated pedal andgenerate the APP, the BPP, and the CPP signals, respectively, based onthe measured position of the associated pedal. In other implementations,the APP sensor 142, the BPP sensor 144, and the CPP sensor 150 may eachinclude one or more switches and may generate the APP, the BPP, and theCPP, respectively, indicating whether the associated pedal is beingactuated away from a predetermined resting position. While the APPsensor 142, the BPP sensor 144, and the CPP sensor 150 are shown anddescribed, one or more additional APP, BPP, and/or CPP sensors may beprovided.

The driver inputs may also include one or more cruise control inputs. Acruise control module 154 may provide cruise control inputs to the ECM130 based on user inputs and vehicle surroundings inputs. The userinputs may include, for example, a speed set input, a cruise controlon/off input, a resume speed input, and/or one or more suitable userinputs.

The ECM 130 may selectively make control decisions for the engine system100 based on one or more parameters. A vehicle speed sensor 152 measuresspeed of the vehicle and generates a vehicle speed signal. For exampleonly, the vehicle speed sensor 152 may generate the vehicle speed basedon a transmission output shaft speed (TOSS), one or more wheel speeds,and/or another suitable measure of the vehicle speed. The ECM 130 mayalso receive operating parameters measured by other sensors 155, such asoxygen in the exhaust, engine speed, engine coolant temperature, intakeair temperature, mass air flowrate, oil temperature, manifold absolutepressure, and/or other suitable parameters.

The ECM 130 selectively shuts down the engine 102 when a vehicleshutdown command is received. For example only, the ECM 130 may disablethe injection of fuel, disable the provision of spark, and perform otherengine shutdown operations to shut down the engine 102 when a vehicleshutdown command is received.

While the engine 102 is cranked pursuant to the receipt of a vehiclestartup command (e.g., the ignition key is transitioned ON), a startermotor 160 is selectively engaged with the engine 102 to crank the engineand to initiate a startup event. For example only, the starter motor 160may be engaged with the engine 102 when a vehicle startup command isreceived. The starter motor 160 may engage the flywheel 120 or othersuitable component(s) that may drive rotation of the crankshaft.

A starter motor actuator 162, such as a solenoid, selectively engagesthe starter motor 160 with the engine 102. A starter actuator module 164controls the starter motor actuator 162, and therefore the starter motor160, based on signals from the ECM 130. For example only, the ECM 130may command engagement of the starter motor 160 when the vehicle startupcommand is received.

The starter actuator module 164 selectively applies current to thestarter motor 160 when the starter motor 160 is engaged with the engine102. For example only, the starter actuator module 164 may include astarter relay. The application of current to the starter motor 160drives rotation of the starter motor 160, and the engaged portion of thestarter motor 160 drives rotation of the crankshaft. Driving rotation ofthe crankshaft to start the engine 102 may be referred to as enginecranking.

Once the engine 102 is deemed running after the engine startup event,the starter motor 160 may be disengaged from the engine 102, and theflow of current to the starter motor 160 may be discontinued. The engine102 may be deemed running, for example, when the engine speed exceeds apredetermined speed, such as a predetermined idle speed. For exampleonly, the predetermined idle speed may be approximately 700 rpm. Enginecranking may be said to be completed when the engine 102 is deemedrunning. Current provided to the starter motor 160 may be provided by,for example, a battery and ultra-capacitor system 190.

Other than commanded vehicle startups and vehicle shutdowns, the ECM 130may include an auto stop/start module 180 that selectively initiatesauto stop events and auto start events of the engine 102. An auto stopevent includes shutting down the engine 102 when one or morepredetermined auto stop criteria are satisfied when vehicle shutdown hasnot been commanded (e.g., while the ignition key remains ON). The engine102 may be shut down and the provision of fuel to the engine 102 may bedisabled, for example, to increase fuel economy (by decreasing fuelconsumption).

While the engine 102 is shut down during an auto stop event, the autostop/start module 180 may selectively initiate an auto-start event. Anauto-start event may include, for example, supplying fuel to the engine102, supplying spark, engaging the starter motor 160 with the engine102, and applying current to the starter motor 160 to start the engine102.

The auto stop/start module 180 may selectively initiate auto stop eventsand auto start events, for example, based on the APP, the BPP, thevehicle speed, the CPP, the voltage state of the battery, the chargestate of the ultra-capacitor and/or one or more other suitableparameters. For example only, the auto stop/start module 180 mayinitiate an auto-stop event when the brake pedal is depressed and thevehicle speed is less than a predetermined speed. While the engine 102is shut down for the auto stop event, the auto stop/start module 180 mayselectively initiate an auto start event when the brake pedal isreleased.

A two-state to three-state converting module 182 communicates with acontroller in the battery and ultra-capacitor system 190 and convertstwo state diagnostic reporting from the controller in theultra-capacitor system to three state diagnostic reporting. The enginecontrol module 130 enables and disables the auto stop/start system basedon the three state diagnostic reports for components of theultra-capacitor system 190.

Referring now to FIG. 2, the battery and ultra-capacitor system 190includes a battery 200, an ultra-capacitor controller 204, a DC-DCconverter 208, switches 210 and 212, an ultra-capacitor 214, andtemperature sensors 218, 220 and 222. The engine control module 130 maybe connected to the ultra-capacitor controller 204 by a bus 206. In someexamples, the bus 206 includes a local interconnect network (LIN) bus,although other types of buses may be used.

The DC-DC converter 208 includes a first terminal connected to a firstterminal of the battery 201 and a second terminal connected between theswitch and the ultra-capacitor 214. The switch 210 is connected betweena second terminal of the battery 200 and a first terminal of theultra-capacitor 214. The switch 212 is connected between the negativeterminal of the battery 200 and chassis ground. The second terminal ofthe ultra-capacitor 214 is connected to chassis ground. Theultra-capacitor controller 204 is connected to the DC-DC converter 208,the temperature sensors 218, 220 and 222, and the switches 210 and 212.In addition, the ultra-capacitor controller 204 communicates with theengine control module 206.

During operation, the switch 212 is typically closed to connect thebattery 200 to chassis ground and the switch 210 is open. During autostart events, the switch 210 is selectively closed and switch 212 isopened to provide assistance from the ultra-capacitor 214 to the battery200 to prevent voltage dips. During charging, the DC-DC converter 208supplies power from the battery 200 to the ultra-capacitor 214 to chargethe ultra-capacitor 214. The temperature sensors 218, 220 and 222monitor temperatures of the DC-DC converter 208, the switch 212 and theultra-capacitor 214, respectively.

In FIG. 3, a high level flow illustrates operation of the 2-state to3-state converting module. FIGS. 4A-5 illustrate the operation of the2-state to 3-state converting module in greater detail.

Referring now to FIG. 3, the control method begins with 252 where theengine control module confirms the data from the ultra-capacitorcontroller is valid and current data. At 254, the control method beginseach trip with all diagnostic codes in an indeterminate state. At 258,for each diagnostic monitored by the ultra-capacitor controller, thetwo-state to three-state converting module monitors diagnostic values toidentify that a diagnostic test was performed.

At 260, the two-state to three-state converting module determineswhether a diagnostic test was performed. In some examples, theultra-capacitor controller monitors diagnostic values and identifiesstate changes in the diagnostic values. If 260 is true, the controlmethod changes the state from indeterminate to either a pass or failstate depending on the outcome and returns to 260. If 260 is false, thecontrol method continues with 268 and determines whether any of thediagnostic tests have a fail state. If 268 is true, the control methoddisables auto stop/starts for the trip at 270 and continues with 272.

At 272, the control method determines whether all of the diagnostictests have either pass or indeterminate states. If 272 is true, thecontrol method enables auto stop/starts for the trip. These steps allowhealing to occur during a trip if the fail state ends. The controlmethod continues from 272 and 274 with 278 where the control methoddetermines whether the engine control module transitions off. If 278 isfalse, the control method continues with 260. Otherwise, the controlmethod ends.

Referring now to FIGS. 4A-5, a control method for converting two statediagnostic reporting from the ultra-capacitor controller to three statereporting for use by the engine control module is shown. In FIGS. 4A and4B, various steps are performed to ensure that the data is currentbefore running the diagnostic. At 310, the control method begins whenthe engine control module (ECM) wakes up. At 312, the control methoddetermines whether a powermode is at accessory (ACC), run or crank. Ifnot, the control method returns to 312. If 312 is true, the controlmethod determines whether bus variables are initialized at 316. If not,the bus variables are initialized at 318. At 320, a next messagereceived flag is set to false and the control method returns to 312.

When 316 is true, the control method monitors bus message receivedstatus. The next message received flags will change to true when thenext frame arrives over the bus. At 326, the control method determinesif the bus awake flag is set equal to true. If 326 is false, the controlmethod continues with 328 and determines whether a new bus message isreceived. If 328 is false, the control method continues with 320. If 328is true, the control method continues with 330 and sets the bus awakeflag equal to true and continues with 320. When 326 is true, the controlmethod continues with 334 and determines whether an ultra-capacitorcontroller wake delay is greater than a predetermined wake period. If334 is false, the control method increments the ultra-capacitorcontroller wake delay timer at 326 and continues with 320.

When 334 is true, the control method determines whether the next messagereceived flag is true (corresponding to a new data record received fromthe bus). This and subsequent steps in FIG. 4A occur for each of thedata record frames. At 342, the control method determines whether thebus frame status is equal to wait. If not, the control method continueswith 344 and sets the bus frame status equal to ready. When 342 is true,the control method continues with 350 and sets the bus message state forentire array of bus circuit diagrams equal to ready.

In FIG. 4B, at 400, the control method determines whether theultra-capacitor controller is awake. If not, the control method returnsto 400. If 400 is true, the control method continues with 404 andincrements a time since the ultra-capacitor controller is awake. At 408,the control method monitors the control parameters from theultra-capacitor controller related to internal circuit diagnostics.Examples include time since the ultra-capacitor system is awake,ultra-capacitor system state, ground switch state, capacitor switchstate, ultra-capacitor assist enabled, capacitor charge level, cellbalance active, charging/discharging state, bus supply voltage, vehiclerun/crank voltage, assisted start in progress, ultra-capacitor self-testdiagnostic state, capacitor switch back events, etc.

At 412, the control method determines whether conditions are present toenable. If 412 is false, the control method returns to 404. If 412 istrue, the control method sets the conditions met flag equal to true at416.

In FIG. 5, the control method begins with 420. The steps of FIG. 5 areperformed each of the monitored components in the ultra-capacitorcontroller system. At 424, the control method determines whether thetime since ultra-capacitor controller awake is greater than an initiallag time and bus frame status is equal to ready. If 424 is true, thecontrol method continues with 428 and determines whether there has beena state change in a corresponding fault bit since a last software loop(which was not due to code clearing).

If 424 or 428 are false, the control method continues with 430. At 430,the control method determines whether a diagnostic reported flag isequal to true. If 430 is true, the control method continues with 420. If430 is false, the control method continues with 434 and determineswhether a code clear has occurred. If 434 is true, the control methodcontinues with 420. If 434 is false, the control method continues with438 and determines whether a maturity flag is set equal to true. If 438is false, the control method continues with 442 and determines whether aconditions met flag is equal to true. If 442 is false, the controlmethod continues with 444, resets a fast timer and then continues with420. If 442 is true, the control method increments a fast timer at 448and continues with 450. At 450, the control method determines whetherthe fast timer is greater than a maturity time calibration and a bus lagtime. If 450 is false, the control method continues with 420. If 450 istrue, the control method continues with 460 and sets a maturity flagequal to true, a bus message state equal to wait and continues with 420.

If 438 is true, the control method continues with 464 and determineswhether the bus message state is equal to ready. If 464 is false, thecontrol method continues with 420. If 464 or 428 are true, the controlmethod continues with 468 and determines whether the fault bit is equalto fail. If 468 is true, the control method reports a test fail anddisables the auto stop/start for the trip. If 468 is false, the controlmethod reports a test pass at 474. The control method continues from 472and 474 with 478, sets DiagReported equal to true and continues with420.

The foregoing description is merely illustrative in nature and is in noway intended to limit the disclosure, its application, or uses. Thebroad teachings of the disclosure can be implemented in a variety offorms. Therefore, while this disclosure includes particular examples,the true scope of the disclosure should not be so limited since othermodifications will become apparent upon a study of the drawings, thespecification, and the following claims. It should be understood thatone or more steps within a method may be executed in different order (orconcurrently) without altering the principles of the present disclosure.Further, although each of the embodiments is described above as havingcertain features, any one or more of those features described withrespect to any embodiment of the disclosure can be implemented in and/orcombined with features of any of the other embodiments, even if thatcombination is not explicitly described. In other words, the describedembodiments are not mutually exclusive, and permutations of one or moreembodiments with one another remain within the scope of this disclosure.

Spatial and functional relationships between elements (for example,between modules, circuit elements, semiconductor layers, etc.) aredescribed using various terms, including “connected,” “engaged,”“coupled,” “adjacent,” “next to,” “on top of,” “above,” “below,” and“disposed.” Unless explicitly described as being “direct,” when arelationship between first and second elements is described in the abovedisclosure, that relationship can be a direct relationship where noother intervening elements are present between the first and secondelements, but can also be an indirect relationship where one or moreintervening elements are present (either spatially or functionally)between the first and second elements. As used herein, the phrase atleast one of A, B, and C should be construed to mean a logical (A OR BOR C), using a non-exclusive logical OR, and should not be construed tomean “at least one of A, at least one of B, and at least one of C.”

In this application, including the definitions below, the term “module”or the term “controller” may be replaced with the term “circuit.” Theterm “module” may refer to, be part of, or include: an ApplicationSpecific Integrated Circuit (ASIC); a digital, analog, or mixedanalog/digital discrete circuit; a digital, analog, or mixedanalog/digital integrated circuit; a combinational logic circuit; afield programmable gate array (FPGA); a processor circuit (shared,dedicated, or group) that executes code; a memory circuit (shared,dedicated, or group) that stores code executed by the processor circuit;other suitable hardware components that provide the describedfunctionality; or a combination of some or all of the above, such as ina system-on-chip.

The module may include one or more interface circuits. In some examples,the interface circuits may include wired or wireless interfaces that areconnected to a local area network (LAN), the Internet, a wide areanetwork (WAN), or combinations thereof. The functionality of any givenmodule of the present disclosure may be distributed among multiplemodules that are connected via interface circuits. For example, multiplemodules may allow load balancing. In a further example, a server (alsoknown as remote, or cloud) module may accomplish some functionality onbehalf of a client module.

The term code, as used above, may include software, firmware, and/ormicrocode, and may refer to programs, routines, functions, classes, datastructures, and/or objects. The term shared processor circuitencompasses a single processor circuit that executes some or all codefrom multiple modules. The term group processor circuit encompasses aprocessor circuit that, in combination with additional processorcircuits, executes some or all code from one or more modules. Referencesto multiple processor circuits encompass multiple processor circuits ondiscrete dies, multiple processor circuits on a single die, multiplecores of a single processor circuit, multiple threads of a singleprocessor circuit, or a combination of the above. The term shared memorycircuit encompasses a single memory circuit that stores some or all codefrom multiple modules. The term group memory circuit encompasses amemory circuit that, in combination with additional memories, storessome or all code from one or more modules.

The term memory circuit is a subset of the term computer-readablemedium. The term computer-readable medium, as used herein, does notencompass transitory electrical or electromagnetic signals propagatingthrough a medium (such as on a carrier wave); the term computer-readablemedium may therefore be considered tangible and non-transitory.Non-limiting examples of a non-transitory, tangible computer-readablemedium are nonvolatile memory circuits (such as a flash memory circuit,an erasable programmable read-only memory circuit, or a mask read-onlymemory circuit), volatile memory circuits (such as a static randomaccess memory circuit or a dynamic random access memory circuit),magnetic storage media (such as an analog or digital magnetic tape or ahard disk drive), and optical storage media (such as a CD, a DVD, or aBlu-ray Disc).

The apparatuses and methods described in this application may bepartially or fully implemented by a special purpose computer created byconfiguring a general purpose computer to execute one or more particularfunctions embodied in computer programs. The functional blocks,flowchart components, and other elements described above serve assoftware specifications, which can be translated into the computerprograms by the routine work of a skilled technician or programmer.

The computer programs include processor-executable instructions that arestored on at least one non-transitory, tangible computer-readablemedium. The computer programs may also include or rely on stored data.The computer programs may encompass a basic input/output system (BIOS)that interacts with hardware of the special purpose computer, devicedrivers that interact with particular devices of the special purposecomputer, one or more operating systems, user applications, backgroundservices, background applications, etc.

The computer programs may include: (i) descriptive text to be parsed,such as HTML (hypertext markup language) or XML (extensible markuplanguage), (ii) assembly code, (iii) object code generated from sourcecode by a compiler, (iv) source code for execution by an interpreter,(v) source code for compilation and execution by a just-in-timecompiler, etc. As examples only, source code may be written using syntaxfrom languages including C, C++, C#, Objective C, Haskell, Go, SQL, R,Lisp, Java®, Fortran, Perl, Pascal, Curl, OCaml, Javascript®, HTML5,Ada, ASP (active server pages), PHP, Scala, Eiffel, Smalltalk, Erlang,Ruby, Flash®, Visual Basic®, Lua, and Python®.

None of the elements recited in the claims are intended to be ameans-plus-function element within the meaning of 35 U.S.C. § 112(f)unless an element is expressly recited using the phrase “means for,” orin the case of a method claim using the phrases “operation for” or “stepfor.”

What is claimed is:
 1. A control system for a vehicle, comprising: afirst vehicle system including a plurality of components and acontroller, wherein the controller monitors diagnostic data for theplurality of components of the first vehicle system and outputs atwo-state status indicator for each of the components of the firstvehicle system, wherein states of the two-state status indicator includea failing state and a not failing state; and a control module configuredto receive the two-state status indicator and the diagnostic data fromthe first vehicle system and to convert the two-state status indicatorinto a three-state status indicator, wherein the three-state statusindicator includes a pass state, a fail state and an indeterminatestate, and wherein the control module is further configured to alter anengine operating parameter based on the three-state status indicator,wherein the first vehicle system includes an ultra-capacitor and batterysystem.
 2. The control system of claim 1, wherein the control moduleinitializes the three-state status indicator to the indeterminate statefor each of the components of the first vehicle system.
 3. The controlsystem of claim 2, wherein the control module is configured to monitorthe diagnostic data to identify when a diagnostic test is performed forone of the plurality of components of the first vehicle system.
 4. Thecontrol system of claim 3, wherein if the diagnostic test is performedfor one of the plurality of components of the first vehicle system and aresult of the diagnostic test is equal to a pass state, the controlmodule is configured to change the three-state status indicator for theone of the plurality of components of the first vehicle system from theindeterminate state to the pass state.
 5. The control system of claim 3,wherein if the diagnostic test is performed for one of the plurality ofcomponents of the first vehicle system and a result of the diagnostictest is equal to a fail state, the control module is configured tochange the three-state status indicator for the one of the plurality ofcomponents of the first vehicle system from the indeterminate state tothe fail state.
 6. The control system of claim 1, wherein theultra-capacitor and battery system comprises a battery, anultra-capacitor, a DC-DC converter, a temperature sensor, a switch and acontroller.
 7. The control system of claim 6, wherein the control moduleincludes an auto stop/start module configured to selectively stop anengine of a vehicle and restart the engine of the vehicle while anignition system is ON.
 8. The control system of claim 7, wherein thecontrol module selectively disables the auto stop/start module based onthe three-state status indicator.
 9. The control system of claim 7,wherein the control module is configured to: selectively disable theauto stop/start module when the three-state status indicator for one ofthe plurality of components of the first vehicle system is equal to thefail state; and selectively enable the auto stop/start module when thethree-state status indicator for all of the plurality of components ofthe first vehicle system are equal to either the pass state or theindeterminate state.
 10. A control method for monitoring operation of avehicle, comprising: monitoring diagnostic data for a plurality ofcomponents of a first vehicle system and outputting a two-state statusindicator for each of the plurality of components of the first vehiclesystem, wherein states of the two-state status indicator include afailing state and a not failing state; receiving the two-state statusindicator and the diagnostic data from the first vehicle system andconverting the two-state status indicator into a three-state statusindicator for each of the plurality of components of the first vehiclesystem, wherein the three-state status indicator includes a pass state,a fail state and an indeterminate state; and altering an engineoperating parameter based on the three-state status indicator, whereinthe first vehicle system includes an ultra-capacitor and battery system.11. The control method of claim 10, further comprising initializing thethree-state status indicator to the indeterminate state for each of theplurality of components of the first vehicle system.
 12. The controlmethod of claim 11, further comprising monitoring the diagnostic data toidentify when a diagnostic test is performed for one of the plurality ofcomponents of the first vehicle system.
 13. The control method of claim12, wherein if the diagnostic test is performed for one of the pluralityof components of the first vehicle system and a result of the diagnostictest is equal to a pass state, changing the three-state status indicatorfor the one of the plurality of components of the first vehicle systemfrom the indeterminate state to the pass state.
 14. The control methodof claim 12, wherein if the diagnostic test is performed for one of theplurality of components of the first vehicle system and a result of thediagnostic test is equal to a fail state, changing the three-statestatus indicator for the one of the plurality of components of the firstvehicle system from the indeterminate state to the fail state.
 15. Thecontrol method of claim 10, wherein the ultra-capacitor and batterysystem comprises a battery, an ultra-capacitor, a DC-DC converter, atemperature sensor, a switch and a controller.
 16. The control method ofclaim 15, further comprising selectively performing an auto stop/startby stopping an engine of a vehicle and later restarting the engine ofthe vehicle while an ignition system is ON.
 17. The control method ofclaim 16, further comprising selectively disabling the auto stop/startbased on the three-state status indicator.
 18. The control method ofclaim 16, further comprising: selectively disabling the auto stop/startwhen the three-state status indicator for one of the plurality ofcomponents of the first vehicle system is equal to the fail state; andselectively enabling the auto stop/start when the three-state statusindicator for all of the plurality of components of the first vehiclesystem are equal to either the pass state or the indeterminate state.